Elizabeth Gene Christie, 96, of Brookings, passed away on Sunday, June 20, 2021, at The Neighborhoods at Brookview.
  A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 24, 2021, at the First United Methodist Church in Brookings, beginning at 1:30 p.m.  A time of fellowship will immediately follow the service in the church narthex.  A time of visitation will be held the evening prior, Wednesday, June 23, 2021, from 5 until 8 p.m. at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings.  Eidsness Funeral Home is assisting the Christie family with arrangements.
Elizabeth Gene Christie, daughter of David L. and Ethel (Canfield) Buller was born Dec. 31, 1924, at her grandmother’s home, Elizabeth Canfield, in Brookings, SD.
Her early childhood was spent on the family farm in Moody County south of Brookings.  She attended the Durland Country School #7 and graduated from Brookings High School in 1942.  Upon graduation from high school she attended General Beadle College in Madison, SD, and earned a two-year teaching certificate.  She returned to The Durland country school to teach for four years.
On Nov. 9, 1947, she married Philip Eugene Christie in Brookings at the First United Methodist Church. Following their marriage they started farming in Brookings County for nearly 50 years.  In 1995 they retired from farming, but continued to live on the farm until 2008 when they moved into Brookings to live at Brookhaven.  After the death of her husband in 2013, Gene continued to live at Brookhaven until March 30, 2020 whereupon she moved to the Neighborhoods because of poor health.
Gene was an active, life-long member of the Brookings First United Methodist Church, serving as a Sunday school teacher and on other various committees.  She was an assistant 4-H leader of the Satellite 4-H Club, and an active member of the extension homemakers.  She was a piano teacher for 50-plus years.  She was an avid gardener and loved her flowers.
She was also an Honored Homemaker at the 1984 Little International at SDSU.
Grateful for having shared her life are her five daughters:  Bonnie (Paul) Smith, Montrose, SD; Peggy (Bud) Eggers, Volga, SD; Jill Christie, Dawson, MN; Gretchen (Bill)Knutson, Brookings, SD; and Melissa Christie (Craig Tanner), Ham Lake, MN: 13 grandchildren:  Heidi (Ryan) Farquhar, Gretchen Smith, Brian (Stephanie)Smith, Joshua (Jenny) Eggers, Rebekah (Nick) Scott, Sarah (Kirk) Jensen, Toby (Lisa) Christie-Perkins, Luke (Emma) Christie-Perkins, Christie (Shane) vonHoldt, Kent (Katie) Knutson, Chase Knutson, and Jocelyn and Cassidy Tanner, 28 great-grandchildren, and relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, infant daughter, Rebecca Gene, grandson, Philip Eggers and one brother, William Buller.